TITANS VS. JAGUARS DEVELOPS SOME BITE

Maybe it's familiarity breeding contempt, or a case of intertwining fates. But whatever is at the core of what's between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans, it has an edge to it.

Jaguars-Titans has become one of the emerging rivalries in the NFL. It lacks the tradition of Bears-Packers, the venom of Raiders-Chiefs and the nastiness of Steelers-Browns, that defining AFC Central mean streak before free agency crippled the former and moving vans undid the latter.

But the newset AFC Central civil war has its own traditions. The Jaguars' first game as an expansion team in 1995 was a loss to the then-Houston Oilers. Four weeks later, Jacksonville's first win came against the Oilers. In the last four years, Jacksonville is 30-4 at home; three of those losses were to the transplanted Oilers, now the Titans.

"I wouldn't say we don't like each other," said Titans linebacker Barron Wortham, who has been with the franchise since it first played Jacksonville in 1995. Then he laughed: "I would say it's maybe a little bit of a dislike."

The rivalry has subtexts. Tennessee defensive end Jevon Kearse and Jacksonville running back Fred Taylor were teammates at Florida. Tennessee running back Eddie George was Ohio State's featured back when the Buckeyes trampled the Illinois team of Jacksonville linebacker Kevin Hardy. Now that the principals are in the NFL--same conference, same division--they see each other twice a year with much at stake.

"We've had some great battles in the past couple of years, so I guess it's starting to build into that," George said.

While the Jaguars have basked in the growing adulation of a city in love with its team, the Titans were becoming America's team, with four homes in the last four years: Houston in 1996, Memphis in 1997, Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville in 1998 and finally Adelphia Coliseum.

After three straight 8-8 seasons, the Titans went 13-3. Indeed, before the Jaguars met Miami in the playoffs, the Titans were the only team they played that had a winning record. And the Jaguars lost both games to Tennessee.

"It's not a mental block," Taylor insisted. "The first time we played them this season, I wasn't part of that game but we beat ourselves with turnovers and poor execution. The second game we just didn't prepare well. We had a solid game plan but we kind of took things for granted. We just kind of showed up for that game, didn't really play at all."

While the Jaguars bristled at the lack of respect they felt despite a 14-2 record, the Titans were smug that they were the one team the Jaguars could not handle. It has been a pattern that reflects badly on Jacksonville.

"They have played faster and harder than we have in the past," Jaguars receiver Jimmy Smith said.

The Titans overcame a 10-0 deficit last season to win at Jacksonville, a loss the Jaguars wrote off to injuries to their quarterbacks. Not coincidentally Tennessee held Taylor to 42 yards in 20 carries, an early clue to what may be a decision point Sunday: The Jaguars led the NFL with 130.7 rushing yards per game and are 4-0 in playoff games when one of their backs rushes for 100 yards.

The rivalry is taking on a decided smash-mouth character despite high-profile quarterbacks Mark Brunell and Steve McNair. The Titans are 7-0 this year, including 2-0 in the playoffs, when George rushes for 100 yards.

If there is a complicating factor for the Titans it is the difficulty of defeating a team three times in one extended season, particularly when the third meeting is in the conference championship. Only the 1982 Dolphins (vs. the Jets) and 1986 Giants (vs. Washington) won conference championship games against division rivals they had defeated twice previously. And the Dolphins and Giants played that third game at home. The Jaguars and Titans know each other well.

"It couldn't be a better matchup," Taylor said. "I'm pretty sure the guys will get up for this one. They're going to love this."